Rana seen rocking the boat within RPP

By Yuvraj Acharya

KATHMANDU, Nov 17 - The government and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party (RPP) seem to be heading for a collision on Tuesday after party chairman Pashupati Shumshere Rana suddenly summoned the party’s central committee meeting against the wish of the government.Rana, in a short notice issued on Sunday, called the party meeting, ignoring the request by many senior ministers to postpone it.

A senior RPP leader close to the PM even alleged that Rana violated the party statute in calling the meeting. "According to the party statute, it is the party general secretary who summons the meeting, not the party president," he said. Party general secretary Kamal Thapa is a senior minister in the government and a staunch supporter of the PM.

PM supporters in the party smell rat in the hastily summoned meeting because Rana also nominated nine new members to the central committee on Sunday to bolster his support base.

Rana has nominated Mohan Bahadur Malla, Ram Chandra Roy, Dilip Kumar Rai, Ram Krishna Acharya, Chhetra Bahadur Gurung, Pratap Ram Lohar, Ram Kumar Subba, Iqbal Iraqui and Shanti Shumsher Rana as members in the central committee. "There is certainly some conspiracy being hatched," quipped a central committee member. "Otherwise why would the president call the meeting, which was never held in the last six months, in such a haste?"

The same commentator also chastised Rana for having called the meeting at a time when most of his critics in the party are absent. Finance Minister Dr. Prakash Chandra Lohani is in the USA while senior leader Rabindra Nath Sharma is in the CIAA custody.

Bhuwan Pathak, a RPP central committee member and a government supporter, however, opined that the PM still had the majority in the central committee, and thus the party would be in no position to do anything against the government.

Talking to The Kathmandu Post, Khem Raj Pandit, assistant general secretary of the party and a confidante of the party president, said, "RPP will not remain indecisive from tomorrow."

Mohan Raj Malla, a newly appointed central committee member, pointed out that the party could go even to the point of demanding the PM’s resignation.The party-government relationship has never been rosy, and the party has not extended its support to the government publicly.

Meanwhile, party chairman Rana hosted a working dinner for his close supporters at his residence Monday evening to thrash out his group’s strategy. The meeting, attended by 15 central committee members, decided to post a number of complaints at the PM. A source said that the party supporters decided to criticise the govt for bungling the peace process with the Maoists, failing to include mainstream political parties in the government, and allowing law and order situation to deteriorate, among others.The party supporters will also vocalise their opposition to the activism of the Raj Parishad and the Unified Command adopted by the govt to take on the Maoists.

Party insiders, who maintain proximity with both the govt and the party, however maintain that tomorrow’s meeting is mainly a bargaining chip tossed by the party chairman to have his supporters included in the new cabinet rumoured to be further expanded.

All except NC have given up: Koirala

POST REPORT

BIRGUNJ, Nov 17 - President of the Nepali Congress Girija Prasad Koirala today said that his party would not give up its fight against ‘regression’ even if other political parties quit the movement."The contest between the traditional and modern political forces can culminate in the victory of the Nepali Congress," Koirala said, without further elaboration.

He said this while addressing party workers of Narayani zone here today. He also said that no power can goad his party to call off the movement in future.

Koirala was reacting to the grievances of the party workers who referred to the instances of the former aborting the movement by saying that he had received positive signals from the palace and diplomats.

Koirala also defended himself saying it was rebel violence which also goaded them into calling off the movement since they had walked out of the peace talks and embarked on violence in the run up to the movement.

Koirala also informed that the upcoming meeting of the party scheduled for November 20 could decide on the decisive movement.

He was of the view that foreign diplomats too were not in a position to advise anything since there has been no response from the palace on the issue of restoring the constitutional process.

"I have reminded the diplomats that there is no response from the palace," Koirala said, adding that the upcoming movement would goad them into accepting the consequences.

Saying that the political instability has left the field open for politicking, Koirala said authoritarian rule sees more of politicking.

"This (politicking) can be put to an end but the king does not show any interest," he further said.

Reacting on the demand to call the party’s Mahasamiti meeting, Koirala said there was no point in showing concern for the statute of the party at a time when the constitution of the land is facing a threat.

Special Court extends Joshi’s remand for 15 more days

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Nov 17 - The Special Court today extended the judicial remand of Nepali Congress leader Govinda Raj Joshi for 15 more days, in effect accepting the plea of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) for the extension.

The CIAA today produced Joshi before the court, seeking extension of Joshi’s judicial detention deeming it necessary in order to carry out the "unfinished investigations" into his property holdings.A bench comprising judge Top Bahadur Magar and judges Bhupa Dhoj Adhikari and Govinda Prasad Parajuli handed over the verdict following a pleading today. Advocates Upendra Keshari Neupane and Ram Krishna Nirala pleaded on behalf of Joshi while Yuba Raj Subedi defended the CIAA.

Joshi pleaded on his own behalf today. "I will not give any deposition to the CIAA as I do not have faith in it," Joshi stated before the bench. He also charged the CIAA of being biased against him.

The court first allowed the CIAA to have Joshi remanded for 20 days and later for another 15 days. Similarly, in two other cases, the SC extended the judicial remand of former secretaries Padma Prasad Pokharel and Chakra Bandhu Aryal by another 12 days.

8 Maoists among dozen killed in latest clashes

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Nov 17 - Eight Maoist-rebels, three civilians, including a bank security guard and a soldier of the Royal Nepal Army were killed in different parts of the country in the past 12 hours, according to reports.

Three personnel of the Armed Police Force were injured in Maoist-laid ambush in a jungle of Kharang VDC of Sangkhuwasabha district on Sunday. The injured personnel were airlifted to Dharan for treatment.

A report from Sindhupalchowk said that four Maoists fell to security actions in the jungles of Bhotang and Manekharka areas located north of Melamchi on Saturday. Those killed in the shootout have been identified as area commander Padam Bahadur Tamang, Laxmi Tamang, Garzen Tamang and Amrit Tamang.

Meanwhile, three rebels were killed in an encounter that occurred at Nepaltar of Udayapur district on Sunday. The killed rebels have been identified as Bishnu Karki of Bhattar and Tanka Prasad Sapkota of Panchawoti and Bharat Ghimire. Sources said security forces arrested three others from the clash site.

Yet another report from Bhojpur has it that one rebel and a cop were killed early today when the rebels attacked a contingent of the security forces guarding a telephone tower at Bhojpur.

In Mahottari, the rebels killed Jitendra Jha, 31, the vice-chairman of Shripur Gaon Committee of the Nepal Sadbhavana Party, and Bhushan Mahato, 35, a labourer, after kidnapping them from a river nearby their village last week.

Another report from Tikapur, Kailali said that a group of rebels shot dead bank guard Bhim Bahadur Thapa of Malika Development Bank in broad daylight today.

Maoist-rebels looted foodstuff and edible oil worth Rs one million taking two trucks under control near Manahari bazaar yesterday, according to a report from Hetauda.

Truck drivers said they were carrying 1,200 cartoons of Swasti Oil Industries, Biratnagar worth Rs 6,50,000 and 100 sacks of rice worth Rs 300,000.

Appointment of lawyers in govt depts suggested

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Nov 18 - In a bid to bolster government’s cases in the court, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has suggested the government to appoint lawyers in all government departments.In its recent report submitted to the government, the OAG, arguing the need of appointing lawyers in all government departments said, "It is difficult to understand the context and the complexity of the cases in which the government is the plaintiff as there are no separate lawyers in government departments."

The report has mentioned that the attorney general always has to face practical problems while replying to the show cause notices issued by the Supreme Court in the name of the different government departments like revenue, customs, land reform and land revenue. Thus the attorney general has to respond to the show cause notices relying on general knowledge about the departments, said the report.

The report was recently handed over to the Prime Minister by Attorney General Susil Kumar Panta. It has been learnt that the Prime Minister has already ordered the Ministry of Law and Parliamentary Affairs to implement the report.

Gold price up, feeling pulse of fluctuations in stock markets

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Nov 17 - The price of gold went up to Rs. 9,540 per 10 grams or Rs. 11,133 per tola in the domestic market on Monday. This is an all-time high price of the yellow metal in the country.

According to figures issued by Nepal Gold-Silver Dealers Association, gold price soared by Rs. 50 per 10 grams from yesterday’s rate of Rs. 9,490. The rise has further set in a gloom in the bullion market that has already been going through a rough passage in recent months, as it is feared to drive away buyers."The price rise has spilled cold water on dealers’ hope that the new marriage season, which started from today, would generate new businesses," said Tej Ratna Shakya, president of the association.The upsurge in gold prices in the domestic market is due to corresponding rise in its price in the international market. Continuous fall in the value of the US dollar against other leading currencies was one reason that caused the gold price rise.

The latest rally was triggered by the terrorist attacks in Iraq. The situation worsened after the al-Qaeda terrorist network, in a note to a London-based Arabic-language newspaper, threatened to attack Tokyo if troops are despatched to Iraq, according to agencies.

"The situation has turned volatile in the international market with terrorists threatening of attacking various business centres. No wonder, investors are switching to safer havens," said Shakya.

A decline in the value of US dollar and a slump in the stock markets makes gold more attractive to international investors as it is priced in the US currency in the world market.

Experts further note that the price of gold is likely to shoot up considering the latest weak closing of stock markets.

Failure of the system, success of the private sector
Low enrolments sounding death knell for government schools

By Nitya Nanda Timsina

KATHMANDU, Nov 17 - With the burgeoning of private and boarding schools in the Kathmandu Valley, there has been a steady decline in the number of students enroling in the state-aided schools.

Student enrolment in the country’s historically renowned schools has shown a steady decline over the last two decades.Educators say the exodus began following the New Education System which gave rise to mushrooming of private and boarding schools.

"Student enrolment in government schools declined after the government introduced the new education policy and allowed private schools to mushroom in the neighbourhoods," said Ram Raj Kunwar, assistant headmaster of Durbar High School.

"With the opening of private boarding schools, most well-to-do guardians withdrew their children from our school," said Kunwar. He added that every year, about 200 to 300 students leave his school to join boarding schools.

In Patan Madhyamik School, which has been widely called the "first school for the people", locals comprise of only 10 per cent of the total students currently enrolled in the school. The rest belongs to poor and marginalised families.

"Our students do not belong to well-to-do families as before. A majority of them who study here are poor," Hom Bahadur Kunwar, the school principal says.

Most of the students who come for admission in the government-sector schools are either dropout from private schools or from poor families, he says.

According to Kunwar, there has been a rise in the tendency among parents to enrol their daughters in government schools and sons in private ones. "This tendency, especially among illiterate guardians, has been hindering us to run the school smoothly."

The Shri Padma Secondary School was the first school to be established in Bhaktapur. Not long ago, this school had a record number of students. Now it has just 108 students from grades one to five.

Bikram Bahadur Kayastha, the principal of the school, says parents are gradually losing their confidence in the system. "Nowadays, people in general see these institutions as the schools of the poor."

There are 48 students currently studying in the Udaya Primary School in Bhaktapur Municipality-15. The Mahendra Primary School located in the same ward has hardly 50 students.

The district education officer (DEO) is in a dilemma as to close down these schools or retain them. "We might have to close them down and send the children to other schools," says Bali Ram Singh, DEO of Lalitpur.

Three such public schools in Lalitpur have already been shut down this academic year due to unavailability of students. Many DEOs admit that several government schools in the Valley are about to meet similar fate.

There are 130 secondary, 47 lower secondary and 119 primary schools in Kathmandu, according to statistics available at the District Education Office (DEO) in Kathmandu.

About 45,600 students currently study in the district public schools, which have over 3,500 teachers.

The overcrowding of teachers and the exodus of students has seriously upset the standard teacher/students ratio. From the standard national students/teacher ratio of 50:1, it has now declined to

25:1 in the Valley’s school, according to statistics obtained from the Department of Education.Laba Prasad Tripathee, spokesperson at the Ministry of Education says that public schools in rural areas are still popular.

There are about 1,300 private and boarding schools all over the Kathmandu Valley with about 150,000 students, according to the Private and Boarding Schools Organisations of Nepal (PABSON).

Kathmandu has 611 primary boarding schools, which alone enrolled 83,474 students in 2002-03.

Brig Gen Pandey cremated

POST REPORT

KATHMANDU, Nov 17 - Brigadier General Sagar Bahadur Pandey, who was killed in a roadside bomb blast at Pandrang of Nibuwa village in Makawanpur District Saturday, was cremated today at Pashupati Aryaghat. Late Pandey’s son Sabra Bahadur Pandey consigned his father’s mortal remains to the funeral pyre. A royal Nepalese Army contingent had paid a last tribute to late Pandey.Earlier, Pandey’s mother Chhaya Devi Pandey paid her last tribute to her fifth son at Birendra Military Hospital. Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa at the hospital premises while Minister for Information and Communications Kamal Thapa, Commander in Chief Pyar Jung Thapa and other high-ranking government officials paid their last respects to Pandey at the Aryaghat.Late Pander’s wife Pups Panned, who also died in the same incident was cremated alongside her husband’s pyre. Pushpa’s son Ankit consigned his mother’s remains to the funeral pyre.

Reproductive health inseparable from basic health

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Nov 17 - Conflict and violence not only threatens women’s lives but pushes them further back, said Nafisa Sadik, the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General on HIV/AIDS in South Asia.Sadik was addressing the programme South Asian Dialogue on Reproductive Health, Rights and Well-being organised today by the Society for International Development (SID) - Nepal Chapter. A total of 94 experts in the subject from Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Pakistan participated in the dialogue.

Sadik added that women’s health should not be seen as separate from basic health systems. "Most health systems do not support reproductive health," she said, adding, "investments need to be made in preventive health care."She also mentioned researches that show that educated women and their children are healthier. Referring to the growing social problem of HIV/AIDS in the region, Sadik noted how young married women were more vulnerable to the disease than unmarried women.

"Women who are married young are sexually assaulted by their partners and are often unable to speak for their rights," she said. Sadik said that one in three women worldwide were subjected to violence during their lifetime.

The conference will re-examine the issue of reproductive health and rights within the context of emerging conflicts.

It will also give a voice to those who suffer in persistent poverty and to those who bear the social and health consequences of political conflict in the policy making process in South Asia.

Similarly, Kamal Thapa, Minister for Health, said the government in the Tenth Plan has aimed to alleviate poverty by concentrating the resources by providing health services and improving health in unreached areas.

He also emphasised the need for women to be educated on reproductive health. "The impact of HIV/AIDS on these issues need to be discussed in length and conclusions drawn," said Thapa.

"The main outcome of the dialogue is to map a regional strategy on how women should participate in preventing and confronting conflict," said Biswa Keshar Maskay, President of SID-Nepal Chapter. "It will also examine how women should turn conflict situations into opportunities."

High-level meet to resolve Mid-Marsyangdi crisis

Post Report

KATHMANDU, Nov 17 - A high-level meeting will be held in Frankfurt, Germany, on November 27 to find a solution to the crisis situation following the civil works contractors’ unilateral termination of the 70-megawatt Middle Marsyangdi Hydroelectric Project construction.Senior officials representing the German Development Bank, KfW, Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and the project consultant, Fichtner JV, will attend the meeting, according to a highly placed source at the NEA.

The source added that KfW was in favour of resolving the dispute among NEA, Fichtner JV and contractor DDC JV. KfW had also agreed to increase the grant assistance to the tune of 150 million rupees for the project.

DDC JV took the one-sided decision to terminate the contract last Friday, claiming "violation of contractual obligations" by the NEA. Following the recommendation by Fichtner JV, the multinational joint venture contractor had earlier suspended all project works on October 10, citing security reasons.

According to the source, the meeting is likely to determine the fate of the project. "KfW is interested in mediation to persuade the current contractor to resume the works," said the source.

As per the conditions of the contract, the termination notice will be effective 14 days after its issuance, the source added. There remains a possibility wherein the old contractor can resume the works if the dispute is resolved before that period.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that the German Ambassador to Nepal, Rudiger Lemp, held discussion on the project’s present situation at a meeting held this afternoon with high-ranking NEA officials led by the managing director.